Cricket should go the football way: Ravi Shastri suggests playing only World Cup for international T20s
India Today
The Indian Premier League might be expanded to a bigger window next year. The idea of a bigger IPL puts the ICC calendar in danger. Ravi Shastri, however, has made some interesting suggestions to avoid a clash in schedule.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has suggested that the International Cricket Council should reduce the number of bilateral series from the cricketing calendar. Shastri's comments come in the background of reports that the Indian Premier League might look to expand itself to a bigger window in the upcoming seasons, which will in turn affect the international calendar of the teams.
Shastri criticised the number of T20I bilaterals the teams play and suggested that those games were irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
"Yes, absolutely, there's too much of bilateral stuff going on in T20 cricket," Shastri told ESPNcricinfo.
"I've said that [before], even when I was the coach of India, I could see it happening in front of my eyes. It should go the football way, where, in T20 cricket, you just play the World Cup. Bilateral tournaments - no one remembers," he further added.
The cricketing calendar has drawn flak for a number of years for the hectic schedule. And with the onset of Covid-19 and the added bio-secure bubble pressure, things have been made further complicated.
"I don't remember a single game in the last six-seven years as coach of India, barring the World Cup. A team wins the World Cup, they will remember it. Unfortunately, we didn't, so I don't remember that either.
Shastri advocated that cricket should follow the football route and concentrate on franchises instead of the national teams in the shortest format of the game.
